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Were you inspired by the talks and masterclasses during the URBACT Summer University? Or did you miss something and want to catch up? Are you curious to know more about the topics of the masterclasses you couldn’t follow?

Now you have the chance to collect everything and you won’t miss a detail!

... all over Europe; to all the amazing, committed speakers who gave their inspiring talks and master classes; thanks to the Lab Managers and Facilitators who carefully and brilliantly guided the participants ...

... and explore a new exciting city! ::/introtext:: ::fulltext::Learn from masters
URBACT Summer University will offer you the chance to attend talks and masterclasses held by inspiring masters.
Brilliant ...

Roma Ghettos in European Cities: Who Made Them? by Catalin BERESCU, Romania [+]

Roma Ghettos in European Cities: Who Made Them? is an inquiry that aims to bring forward and put together some forgotten pieces of history and some contemporary facts from around Europe. Planning is rarely regarded as a racist activity, and in fact, it rarely is, however, the amount of recurrent mistakes in what concerns Roma settlements, Gypsy camps or Travellers’ camping sites deserves a retrospective and a comparative regard.

If we are to find an alternative to current practices, we should first not name these places mahala, campo nomadi, village d’insertion and maybe go for poverty neighbourhood, slum and ghetto in a technical and normative way. Indeed, the sweet life in some of these places might give us a better perspective on co-housing than a visit in a hippy community and give us ideas about the value of common shared space but the misery in most of them should put us to shame and it shouldn't be allowed to blame it on the victims anymore.

From the social housing inferno of the communist era to the massive growth of ethnic slums – either as fragile developments around East European cities or as informal camps in the West – there is a long way that is full of misunderstandings, misconceptions, lack of power, money and goodwill. We clearly need some new tools to deal with the Roma/Gypsy settlements, old and new, spontaneous or planned.

How Cities Can Make the Most of Social Media by Linda CHEUNG, United Kingdom [+]

Connecting and Engaging – Developing Communities and Cities with Social Media Class

Once deemed a fad that wouldn’t last, social media is now a vital communication channel for businesses and public services. URBACT has increased its use of social media in recent years, enabling participants to communicate, network and share information.

This class explores how cities can make the most of social media.The class will include:

Why social media is important and how “old rules” can be applied to “new tools”

The key social media platforms: where best to start, and differences in tone and use

Examples of how social media can be used in cities and communities

Tips and actions to improve your social media use and profiles.

For those who already use Twitter, Linda is @LindaCheungUK and the Summer University’s hashtag is #URBACT2013.

In this period of crises and change, can we still leave young people on the bench?

How public policies can create the enabling conditions for innovation, facilitate community and invest in people’s ideas and creativity, contributing to economic prosperity and social wellbeing?

Presenting the case of Bollenti Spiriti (a regional programme of youth policies, with a strong multi-sectoral approach, promoted since 2006 by the Apulia Region - south of Italy), the class will focus on the participative practices of community-led development, valuing the endogenous resources of the young citizens, pursuing the aim of networking, opening up spaces for social, cultural and educational initiatives and endorsing the entrepreneurial and creative potential of young generations. The evolution of the role of local authorities will be analyzed: not just bodies that allocate and monitor, but institutions that act responsibly as server and platform, promoting great transparency and collaborative attitude, fostering sustainable and cohesive development and using smart communication channels and social media.

Who would doubt that cities face in the upcoming years a growing number of challenges: slowing economic competitiveness, demographic changes (ageing), difficulties with migration and social inclusion, energy shortages, global warming and environmental decline.

And who would doubt that these challenges have to be addressed in an era of economic and financial crisis with no economic growth (at least for a while) and radically reduced public budgets (for longer period). The saying "more has to be achieved with less” became a bitter reality.

However, "do not waste the crisis”: this difficult situation can be turned into positive, leading to deep changes in urban policy making. It is the local governments who are the closest to the problems and they are also the closest to the solutions.

The class will be about the very much needed integration of planning and policies. Three types of integration will be analysed:

between policy areas (avoiding silos),

between neighbouring municipalities (allowing for cooperation in functional urban areas)

between different levels of government (allowing for multi-level governance)

These types of integration, essential for better planning and policy making, will be illustrated with good (and less good) examples of European cities. Procedural aspects, such as strategic planning with participatory mechanisms, and institutional aspects will also be tackled.

... - hands-on exercises in “virtual URBACT Local Support Groups (ULSGs)” to address a specific city challenge and provide concrete answers in the form of an integrated action plan;
Master Classes. ...

... areas (through URBACT Talks and Master Classes).
Where?
The URBACT Summer University 2013 (USU2013) is taking place in the beautiful Trinity College of Dublin. Dublin’s recent history mirrors that ...

Building on the success of our inaugural URBACT Summer University in Krakow in 2011, URBACT is organising its 2nd Summer University dedicated to URBACT Local Support Group members from all ongoing URBACT networks. The event will take place in Dublin, Ireland, from Wednesday 28 August to Saturday 31 August 2013.

... for community groups and cycling classes and help companies to implement the « Bike to Work scheme ». In 2009, they won the Social Entrepreneurs Award and in 2012 the Arthur Guinness Fund, among ...

URBACT Summer University will be a great opportunity to attend masterclasses and talks presented by inspiring masters. Relevant case studies, successful experiences and insights will be shared. Urban issues will be addressed in order to offer a broad, innovative and multiple point of view.